


Apartment #21

by Caiterpillarprobably



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: AU, Awkward Romance, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-02
Updated: 2017-02-02
Packaged: 2018-09-21 14:56:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9553619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caiterpillarprobably/pseuds/Caiterpillarprobably
Summary: One wrong delivery starts an awkward but intrigued friendship between two neighbors. Just some fluff i wrote the other day while bored.Requests and prompt ideas welcome btw. :)





	

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It all started with a care basket that came to your door by mistake. "Feel better, boy genius." Your only neighboring door was #23, aka the guy who rambled off a list of common germs from the apartment mailboxes that can mutate and make you really sick. You can actually clearly recall him putting the quarter gallon of sanitizer in the pick up office. If anyone near you was 'boy genius' it was that guy. You shoved your feet into your slippers and grabbed the basket, toting it in your arms to his door. KNOCK KNOCK... KNOCK.... KNOCK KNOCK. You were very specific about your pattern, He didn't recognize it, which is probably why he didn't even make a noise in response. "Excuse me, I have a delivery!" Your sultry hum of a voice came out, flush against the door, and soon you could hear slow, heaving steps. This did NOT sound like the thin pole that was your neighbor. Then again, he did just get a self care basket. He slowed his approach more when he got close enough to see out of the peep hole, and you stepped back, holding the large twine bound bucket of stuff up to it. He let his wrist turn and he tossed the door open. His eyes were red, nose too, and he had quite a bit of stubble, two house coats slung over his lanky body. "Uh, hey. This is for you." You blinked. As shy as you were awkward about conversations with strangers, you knew if someone sent him a big ol' care package like this, he needed it. "I don't know who you are, i think you might not be at the right one." He stopped a second and adjusted his wording. "Door. The wrong apartment door. " He was obviously having a fuzzy day.  
"No no, it's not from me, it was at my door and entitled to boy genius. I assume you are he." You walk forward enough to offer the tag to his eyes. He squints, and makes a face as though his face has a reading mode, and then backs up, taking it in his arms. "Thank you." His voice cracked, and you noted the medication in the pail. The roughness to his previous vocal lilt must've been from a cold. You left in tune with the echo of the door meeting its frame, and soon, you got in and started searching for recipes. You were gonna help Mr. Genius, if you could do anything about it. After all, he seemed like a nice dude.   
It took many a store perusing to find all the ingredients in such a tiny town without cutting into VA traffic, but you managed. Everything came at less than 25 bucks. It was pretty much just lentil soup with curry powder in it, and so far, it was smelling good. You left out the onions and garlic of the recipe, not wanting your home to smell of the two potent ingredients, but everything else blended so well together that the aroma made you hungry too. You took a small bowl full, ate it all, and smiled as your nose began to run. At least you knew it'd help with his sinuses. You snatched up your slippers again, and poured the soup into tupperware, heading straight to his door. The real issue was knocking. The big bowl had to press into your stomach and sit against your knee while you knocked with your mitted hand. It came off softer than you wanted it to, but you couldnt help it.   
He didn't seem to hear it, so this time you put down the soup, took off your mit, and knocked louder. In your pattern. KNOCK KNOCK.... KNOCK... KNOCK KNOCK. As you cradled your tupperware, he tossed the door open. You shivered at the quick waft of heat that drifted into the hall, and he stared at you about as confused as you felt now, with his eyes seemingly scrutinizing every inch of you. "None of my team mentioned soup." You REALLY felt weird now, mentally scolding yourself. "I m-made it. I didn't know if you'd eat it, but--" You broke into a nerved laughter. He was probably creeped out at this point. hell, for all he knew, you took his basket at the front door as an excuse to talk to him. But, while you reprimanded your sudden streak of bravery that told you to bring him soup, and glanced up only to see he was grinning. Lightly, but it was there. "Thanks! It looks good." "You're not allergic to curry powder, are you?" He shook his head and creased his brow. "It's not an excessive amount, but its more than the recipe called for in terms of spice. I know your sinuses must be all out of whack, because your voice is really deep." You scratch at your hands, and rub your arms, and when he notices, he offers you inside.   
You come on in as he suggests, and after setting down the soup in the kitchen, you hear what sounds like scurrying happening in the living room. He is bumbling around, picking up TONS of books and tissues, piling them all under a blanket in the corner opposite of the light of the room. You try to stifle laughter and he hears, turning around and catching his breath with a quick, breathed "W-welcome. Careful about touching lots of stuff, you don't want this cold."   
You guys sit together on the couch, although a whole chair cushion apart, and talk whilst he eats his soup. You offer him tissues when he drops a bit on his shirt, and more when he starts the sniffles. It's calm and friendly and you don't want to leave yet, but its inching towards 5:00 PM and you work night shift at 7:00, so you wish him the best, patting his shoulder and, surprisingly getting a brush back by his cold hands, then leave to wash up and change for the night's end. You leave the building happy and overwhelmed by your outwardness today, and meanwhile, unbeknownst to you, your neighbor is just as enchanted by it as you are.

It's been about a week, and you are headed home from your occasional trail sprint in VA. It feels a bit less cold out than you had dressed for, so you strip off your light jacket and keep on walking. A familiar cadence hits your ears and you turn to see 'boy genius', as it was. "Oh- ah, hey!" Is about all you can muster, awkwardly straightening your sweaty clothing from your jogging pace and, in turn, eyeing the way he went from baggy house coats, to making vests and button ups look irresistible. Not what you expected from Mr. Anti-Germ of all people, but he did have quite the pretty face. You must've been staring without realizing, because he tilts his head in a way that makes it evident he is worried, and you look around, as though you're surveying the city you've lived around for all of your life. "I'm all better now. Your soup must've given my immune system some courage, because i healed up by the end of the next day." You smiled and watched his eyes leave yours and make way to your hands. You were idly rubbing circles into them again. "Uhm- Hey-how are you-are your-.... Are you busy tomorrow, around 12?" Your face didnt change, but your body tightened at his question. You let yourself focus on his face. Every tiny line, the curvature of his jaw, cheek, forehead, pristine little nose. Then, the way it all softened the day you brought him the soup. He was genuinely the cutest guy you'd ever met. Like, heartwarming, I'm going to hug you cute. "Ah, yeah yeah! Absolutely. -- Wait wait, no! No absolutely NOT. Im free! Totally free." Your face heated a bit at your embarrassing approach, but you pulled your phone from your tiny shorts pocket and handed it to him. His thumbs swept around fast, punching in the numbers, and he pulled his own our for yours to do the same. "Oh, name?" "Spencer Reid. Yours? " "(Y/F/N)." With one last goodbye, you both went your separate ways, and soon found yourselves at home, swept up in the endless things you two could do tomorrow.

  
And the first date certainly wasn't the last.

 

Two knocks hit your door... One more.... Two more. It was right on time, and so were you, oddly enough. You left your room in a white tanktop, under a sheer beige shirt, under an olive cargo jacket, with enough operable pockets in it to smuggle a large litter of puppies out of a petstore. You were too excited to just leave, so you wore a pair of denim print black leggings, an unnecessary but cute little brown belt through the belt holes, and your favorite basic white canvas shoes. You felt pretty good today, hyper and quick on your feet. After all, this was your eighth time going out together, and you were willing to say you guys were dating by now. Taking it slow, but still in a relationship, none the less. You grabbed your keys, and then your phone, and you opened up the door to the beautiful male you were expecting. He's in a grey sweater and long sleeved black button up, and his socks are bright and not identical. You mentally think to your own, mismatched and tucked under your pants. What a bold guy. "Hi." You both go to say it almost in sync with one another, and then immediately stop for the opposite person to say it instead. Silence. You both fidget a second at the weird start, but no one is necessarily uncomfortable. "So, where to?" "I was hoping we could go to his play about the Witch Trials controversies that happened way back when. It's not a quick one, so I say we go have some lunch and then- Oh!" He pulled up the flap of his messenger bag and reached in to hold out the tupperware from before, all clean. "I still never gave it back." You grinned and swung open the door, running in to place the bowl in your sink, and he walked inside a few seconds behind her, curious to see her home. Movies must've been to (y/n) as books are to Reid. He looked around in awe at all of them, in chronological order of the dates they were produced, shoved into large tubs or in dvd tray holders, posted up against the walls. You had no idea he was just around the corner of the door until you ran back out and collided against him. "Oof- Pfffhah, i'm sorry, I didn't know you came in, Spence." Your warm gaze met his, and he let the staring linger a bit, before he lowered himself down and placed the softest kiss on her lips that he could... Followed by another, more force the second time around. "Movie night instead?" He pointed at the shelves behind her with a little smug smile on his lips, though unable to see the direction because the two were pressed flush, forehead to forehead. (y/n)'s eyes lit up like a Christmas tree at his idea. "Absolutely." You whispered before reachng forward and shutting the front door behind him.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! The paragraph at the end is actually because i felt bad about the chapter situation with New Here. But i think it works alright as a closing.


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